Thanks in part to your ongoing support, the Develop Africa Sierra Leone (DASL) team held another girls’ mentoring program at the end of November on the topic of mental health.  Twenty- five young ladies between the ages of 10-20 years old in Freetown attended the mentoring session.   Lunch and transportation were provided to the girls in attendance as well as toiletries including body splash, deodorant,  4 bars of soap, vaseline, toothpaste, and a toothbrush (pictured above).

The purpose of the session was to create mental health awareness among the girls. Dr. Sarah C. was the guest speaker and she gave a one-hour presentation on the following:  What is mental health, causes of mental health disorders, warning signs of mental illness, examples of mental health disorders, how to identify mental illness,  and drug abuse.  

The session raised awareness on mental health issues among the girls and was very interactive as some of the girls shared personal and emotional stories concerning depression, addiction, peer pressure, low self-esteem, drug abuse, among others.  One of the girls burst into tears while sharing her personal story of losing someone very dear to her.  One of the girls talked about being pressured by her friends to take a  stimulant to stay awake at night to study and perform well in exams. Dr. Sarah gave the girls some coping mechanism tips and advice to protect themselves from trigging factors of mental health disorders.

Thank you for your ongoing support towards empowering and educating girls in Africa. You are truly making a difference for girls with your generous support. Please share this with your contacts and invite them to consider supporting this ongoing project.

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